Their shining, polished brain reflects, as in a mirror, the things you show them, but nothing sinks in. You fail to see that this very facility proves that they are not learning. The apparent ease with which children learn is their ruin.

What would you think of a man who refused to sleep lest he should waste part of his life? You would say, 'He is mad he is not enjoying his life, he is robbing himself of part of it to avoid sleep he is hastening his death.' Remember that these two cases are alike, and that childhood is the sleep of reason. It seems as if he had accomplished his purpose when he had taught them to be happy and Seneca, speaking of the Roman lads in olden days, says, 'They were always on their feet, they were never taught anything which kept them sitting.' Were they any the worse for it in manhood? Do not be afraid, therefore, of this so-called idleness. Plato, in his Republic, which is considered so stern, teaches the children only through festivals, games, songs, and amusements. What! is it nothing to be happy, nothing to run and jump all day? He will never be so busy again all his life long. You are afraid to see him spending his early years doing nothing. You fail to perceive that it is a greater waste of time to use it ill than to do nothing, and that a child ill taught is further from virtue than a child who has learnt nothing at all. You assert that you know the value of time and are afraid to waste it. Give nature time to work before you take over her business, lest you interfere with her dealings. Leave exceptional cases to show themselves, let their qualities be tested and confirmed, before special methods are adopted. “Hold childhood in reverence, and do not be in any hurry to judge it for good or ill.

Emile of rousseau